Biden wins Arizona, consolidates lead over Trump

President-elect Joe Biden has narrowly won Arizona, major US media outlets projected on Friday, capturing the state’s 11 electoral votes and consolidating his lead over his Republican rival and incumbent US President Donald Trump.

Biden, a Democract, has won Arizona, flipping a long-time Republican stronghold, CNN reported.

The state’s 11 Electoral College votes bring 77-year-old Biden’s lead to 290-217 and put further pressure on President Trump, who has yet to concede the election held on November 3.

Trump, 74, has been making baseless attacks on the vote counts favouring Biden.

ALSO READ Biden will prioritise defence and security partnership with India: Obama-era official

Biden, who won the state by about 11,000 votes, or 0.3 percentage points, is the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state since President Bill Clinton in 1996, The New York Times reported.

Arizona has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1996. In 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton there.

The race was called on the ninth day of counting after Election Day, NBC News reported.

This leaves only North Carolina and Georgia as states that have not yet been called. They are both still rated as “too close to call,” it reported.

To win the race to the White House, the winner has to garner at least 270 electoral votes out of the 538-member Electoral College votes.